Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R Modifications to the World's Fastest Motorcycle

Adaptiv TPX Radar & Laser Detector The Adaptive TPX Radar put out by Adaptiv Technologies is new on the market and the first radar detector that I'm aware of that was designed by motorcyclists for motorcyclists. Adaptive offers several mounts to fit various bikes (the busa mount just inserts into the steering head) plus can be plugged directly into a GPS or Comm system for total integration. The radar is water & shock resistant detecting all commonly used police radar bands. While I use a Comm sytem when riding, it also has a wireless headset option and an LED alert option.

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Avon Storm ST Tires Tires are often one of those things that will split a room with a group full of dedicated riders. Everyone has their favorites, and rarely can we agree. Suffice to say, after all these years of riding, traveling and modifying the Pashnit Busa, these have to be some of the best tires I've ever used. Some years back, I was using a 'Supersport Race' compound and was going through a lot of tires. At one point, I had to replace them every 30 days while leading Pashnit Tours during the height of the tour season. My mistake is liklely that I was using a very soft compound tire, and riding the bike hard. The busa eats tires they say. Maybe 2500 miles at best to a set. The answer has been in the form of the Avon Storm ST sport-touring compound tires. Tire technology gets better every year, and the latest release from Avon has it using two different compounds- one of the middle for straight line travelin', and a different compound for the contact patch while leaned over. Now I'm running around 5000 miles per tire set, so about three rides. Pretty thrilled with that, and can gladly reccommend the Avon ST's. I was most impressed with the rear tire that had no squaring off. Just an even wear all the way down- even for a bike with this much horsepower at the rear wheel. And btw, I routinely alternate between a 200 & 190 series rear tire and admit I can't even feel the difference, despite what the textbook says. Note that the Avon Azaro ST tire is discontinued and this is its successor. The Avon Viper Sport is their answer to a softer compound high performance tire.

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Autocom Active Plus
Bike-to-Bike Communication System

Thus far, I've been immensely pleased with the Autocom.  It's not cheap, but maybe the "get what you pay for" rule applies here.  Since I'm leading guided tours most of the riding season on the Hayabusa- having a top quality communication system is a must-have.  After a bit of homework, settled on the Autocom.  While there are several versions- I bought the most basic bike-to-bike system.  It's just a module like the one at right, without all the hookups for CD, radar, or passenger.  It ran $250 & then you also buy the 2-way radio- the Kenwood Freetalk XL for $200.   Military grade with a 5 mile range.

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 Protector Tank Cover

From the site: The Bagster Tank Protector or Tank Cover is manufactured from coated PVC cloth (no, it's NOT leather) and is made specifically for each motorcycle model. The Tank Protector covers your fuel tank completely to protect the paintwork, has a foam lined soft underside, and does not move around on the bike. Depending on the model, it is fastened with 4 or 5 straps. There is an opening in the tank protector that allows you to gas-up your motorcycle without removing the protector. On the top portion it has a four point snap system for attaching a tank bag, providing optimal stability of luggage at high speeds. Two points are located at the front and two at the rear. Tank Protectors are customized to match the colors and patterns of your motorcycle, making them sleek and discreet.
Pashnit's Review: When I first got the tank bra, right after that I had the Hayabusa in the Motorcycle Showand the attention to the bra was interesting to watch. It really is a unique product and quite new to the USA. Over the years, as the list of mods has grown- this has to be at the very top of the list. It's that one product that really catches the eye (combined with the Race Ready products of course!). It's a great mod for the travel crowd too since it protects the entire tank from dings and scratches, plus for the Busa owner that desires a fresh look. And yes- it will work with magnetic tank bags- I still use my other RKA Maganetic tankbag all the time with just the bra.

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Bagster City-Route Tankbag

After riding with the Tektra bag for a short time, it quickly became apparent this was not the right tankbag for this bike. Or at least for my 165 lb 5'9" frame. I felt as though whoever had designed this bag had never sat on a Hayabusa before. Crazy Euros. The Tektra bag was so big, you had to sit upright or the bag was impacted into your belly.

A call placed to Ride Addict and the owner Fero sent out the smallest of the Bagster line- the City-Route tankbag and once it was on the bike- success!! It's the smallest bag I've used over the years but does work and is my daily 'man-purse'. The bag has hard sidewalls, an inside pocket under the map pouch and a rear pocket. Other than that, it's all business. There is an expandable version also.

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Billet Aluminum Bar Ends

Okay, so they look cool.  Solid aluminum milled bar ends- silver, lightweight, bling-bling.  But did you catch the red flag?  Lightweight.  Bar ends aren't supposed to be lightweight.  The weight is what keeps the buzziness and vibration from making it to your hands.  

So for sport-touring, they just weren't practical and I took them off very quickly after realizing my hands were numb after a 3 hour ride.  Went back to stock and then eventually the Throttlemeister bar ends.  But as for looks- these are fantastic!

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Chase Cam - Bullet Camera

So you've taken a few videos with the tank mounted video camera, now what? Enter bullet cams with resolutions at 580 lines capable of being mounted anywhere on the bike or person. Seen here is the suction mount, but with the clamp mount it can be placed anywhere, as a helmet cam or a multitude of angles- anywhere. I acquired this bullet cam and then handed it over to my videographer assigning him to create a short film about my tour company- Pashnit Motorcycle Tours.

Shooting analog video, and fed into a remote video camera positioned in the tankbag, my videographer has managed to mount this all over his bike, helmet and even at the end of a long pole. We've been pleased with the rugged aluminum housing, replaceable lens and it's even waterproof. You'll need the right connectors, wires and adapters to make it compatible with your video camera so do your homework if you decide to invest in one of these. All the video editing is done with Vegas 6.

_________________________________________ Carbon Fiber Clutch & Brake Levers There's a carbon fiber theme with this bike that comes standard from the factory.  When you sit on it, you're looking down on an instrument cluster adorned in a faux carbon fiber finish.  After trying out a set of matching blue lever, it just didn't look right.  So let's try a set of faux carbon fiber levers.  Ah, much better. They're still adjustable just like the stock models and the carbon fiber is little more than painted on, but it works.   Your other choice of course is chrome, but as you start pricing out all the pieces that come chrome for this bike, it can quickly can expensive, about 3x as much as normal aftermarket prices.  So no chrome for this bike.  The carbon fiber levers match well, and they complement the style of the bike well as a low-cost mod. Have since gone to Pazzo Levers, but again, great low-cost mod. _________________________________________ Fairing Grills  I came across these on Hayabusa.org and couldn't resist- these will work for any Hayabusa since the body style hasn't changed yet. A low cost mod that will further the clean look of the bike? Where do I send my money? I only paid like $70 for a complete set and had them several days later. Manufactures of these just use a jig to form the grills which you could buy the raw material at Home Depot and do the mod yourself- but why? It's only a couple bucks and could save you hours of time! The nice thing about the ones I got from PPM Customs grills is that they arrive at your door completely cut, formed, and trial fitted, ready to attach and ride. _________________________________________